So this has been a bad time for me and parasite issues. The last 6 months have seen multiple outbreaks in quarantine that have wiped out whole batches, but I seem to have a handle on that now. What is an issue is an outbreak in my display. Display is two 245 gallons side by side with three 100 gallon stock tanks underneath (mechanical sump, refugium, coral frag grow out and holding). Tank has been up since August. Tank was stocked over 3 months. Two sides stocked differently. One side typical reef inhabitants, other side more of an angel and micropredator reef. All was well for 4 months then I got some chaetomorpha from a lfs and 1000 dwarf cerith snails from an online distributor. About two weeks later I notice some spots on my captive bred clowns. Tried feeding metronidazole soaked foods, but still lost a bunch quickly. Pulled the few low light corals I had and treated with chloroquine phosphate for 30 days at 15ppm. Treated weekly to keep dose up and "ensure" eradication of parasite. Also treated with metronidazole for 10 day cycle in water column. At end of treatment had lost a number of fish, some from disease and others like cardinal school and anthias due to lack of feeding while treating with chloroquine. It has been two months since I ended treatment and no signs of reoccurring outbreak, until 3 days ago. A female blue jaw trigger has the worst of it along with a couple engineering gobies. Attached is a pic of the trigger. Caught it out and formalin dipped it to help, but the next day it was back. Eating still well and feeding metronidazole dosed foods again. Still battling the phosphate from the last time I dosed chloroquine and the hair algae outbreak that followed.
So, it looks like my best option is to catch all the fish I can trapping them, anesthetize the rest and hopefully get all them before I bleach the tank and start over. I know I could let it go fallow for 3 months but at this point why take chances. With the size of the system if have a few fish I might only see once ever couple weeks. If I miss one small one it could be a source of harboring the parasite and this whole nightmare keeps happening.
Once I bleach it and get the water quality back and bacteria jump started I can add some inverts and low light corals while I get the fish healthy and ready to go back.
Any thoughts on this? First time I have had an invert or.plant bring in a parasite, now.I guess everything gets quarantined from now on.
So, it looks like my best option is to catch all the fish I can trapping them, anesthetize the rest and hopefully get all them before I bleach the tank and start over. I know I could let it go fallow for 3 months but at this point why take chances. With the size of the system if have a few fish I might only see once ever couple weeks. If I miss one small one it could be a source of harboring the parasite and this whole nightmare keeps happening.
Once I bleach it and get the water quality back and bacteria jump started I can add some inverts and low light corals while I get the fish healthy and ready to go back.
Any thoughts on this? First time I have had an invert or.plant bring in a parasite, now.I guess everything gets quarantined from now on.
